Yoon Sok-yeol: Seoul and Washington will develop cooperation in nuclear energy

Seoul, May 21 – RIA Novosti. While South Korean President Yun Sok-yeol said that countries will develop cooperation in the field of nuclear energy after meeting with his American counterpart Joe Biden, the leaders’ press conference was broadcast on Youtube by South Korean government channel KTV.

“The civil nuclear industry (energy – ed.) … has agreed to cooperate to develop advanced reactors and small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) and promote their export,” said Yoon Seok-yeol.

As stated in the joint statement of the presidents after the talks, the USA and South Korea recognize the importance of energy security in the face of the rapid increase in instability in the global energy market as a result of the crisis in Ukraine, and are also determined to address climate change.

The leaders will work to strengthen joint cooperation to secure energy supply chains, including fossil fuels and enriched uranium. Countries will strive to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, recognizing that “true energy security” means the rapid adoption of clean energy technologies.

South Korea and the United States will use tools such as a bilateral memorandum of understanding, reactivating the High-Level Bilateral Commission (HLBC), an advisory body for strategic cooperation in nuclear energy, to strengthen cooperation in their own and overseas nuclear markets. understanding and cooperation in the field of export and transfer of nuclear technology.

The US also reportedly welcomes the decision of the Republic of Korea to join the US-led Core Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST).

Biden arrived in South Korea on Friday for his first summit with the country’s new president, Yoon Seok-yeol. The first stop of Biden’s Asian tour, which included South Korea and Japan on May 20-24, was South Korea.

South Korea and the United States already announced to strengthen cooperation in the field of nuclear energy at the summit between former President Moon Jae-in and Biden in May last year, but so far they have not achieved tangible results.